Plumber fined for forging gas certificates

A Lancashire plumber has been fined £750 for forging gas certificates.

Geoffrey Hewitt, 39, of ACME Plumbing and Heating Services in Burnley, pleaded guilty to three health and safety offences after he illegally carried out work at homes in Wren Street, Lyndhurst Road and Saxon Street in Burnley between March and May 2007.

Mr Hewitt, who was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive at Reedley Magistrates' Court last week, had previously had a warrant issued for his arrest after failing to attend two earlier hearings.

The Health and Safety Executive said he had posed as Jordan Rogers of Gas Heating Services when issuing gas safety certificates.

Principal inspector Dorothy Shaw said: “Mr Hewitt put lives in danger by issuing fake Landlords' Gas Safety Certificates, despite not being qualified to know whether the gas fittings in the houses he visited were dangerous or not.

'He worked in people's homes over several months. By producing the fake certificates, he was able to gain money from unsuspecting landlords and potentially risking poisoning homeowners with carbon monoxide.”

She warned that all gas fitters needed to register with the Gas Safe Register before carrying out any work.